Change. It’s change and how well you handle it which defines a person.

Three times in my life, I have been faced with such changes. Once when I was fourteen. Again, at eighteen. And now again at twenty-eight.

Twice, she was there.

Ten years ago, I gave up everything, including her. At the time, it was the right thing to do, for both our sakes. Walking away from her isn’t what I wanted, it’s what had to be done.

Now, she’s here. People like me don’t always get second chances, this happens to be mine. That’s if she’ll have me. If she’ll accept why I left and the fact, she’ll always be second.

You see, I have a secret. It could change everything when she learns the truth. She may be the one walking away this time.

We’re about to find out.

"Don't you understand? I can't love you."Turning to her, tears fall from her eyes unrestrained."Of course, I understand. I see it every time she's around. When you say her name. Hear her voice. I see it in your eyes when you think of her. But I can't stop my heart from wanting what it wants. It wants you, Brannon. Always has. Always will." With her fists to her side, she walks away and I let her.

Leaona, also known as Lea, lives with her husband, cat and two dogs near Myrtle Beach. She was born and raised in WV by her parents whom she adores before attending Marshall University. A small business owner and mother of three, she enjoys Carolina Panthers and Marshall University Football, reading, writing, gardening, crafts, NASCAR, TWD, hot rods, and surf fishing.

Leaona was inspired to write while she raised her family, never dreaming one day, she would be published. While loving all genres of books, Lea writes contemporary romance stories that are not your everyday love stories. Gritty and true to life, she draws from her life and loves to create her characters.

Leaona's debut novel will release June 7, 2016. Cherry Grove is the first in The Cove Series. She’s your everyday girl and lives to connect with her fans via social media. Leaona also doesn't mind dishing about her favorite authors and their books. Beach, life, and love.

When an Ivy League girl falls for a guy from the wrong side of the tracks, all the cards are stacked against them except one. Patrick Cobbs has just graduated his BUD/S training. His father's a drunk; his family is poor. He has nothing to offer Marg except the man he wants to become.

Pat's the last guy Marg’s anti-military parents want for their daughter. With her grandfather’s name etched on the Wall of the Fallen, Marg’s father will do anything to keep them apart. Only one person believes in them, and he’s dead.

“Are you going to kiss me good night?” Marg's voice held a haughty little tone.

He bowed his head and chuckled. “No.” Teasing her was too much fun, and he waited to see her reaction.

“Fine,” she quipped and tipped her shoulder. “Bruce did.”

Oh man, oh man. He torqued his brow. “There’s a difference between me and him, Marg.”

She cocked her head. “And that is?”

“When I kiss you for the first time, it’ll be on my terms when you least expect it.”

She clutched her palms together. “I might not feel like kissing you then, Patrick Cobbs. Sure you want to take that chance?”

He chuckled again. Relaxed and straddling his bike, he gazed at her. Smart and beautiful. Most guys would think he was off his rock, tempting fate or her ire. “I’ll take that chance. Let’s do things the old-fashioned way.”

“You make me nuts,” she finally blurted.

An honest laugh erupted from his chest, seeing he was twisting her into a ball of crazy. “This is good training for you, Miss Stines.”

“How?” she barked at him. Her brow squished together.

“Although you say you don’t want to live the life of luxury, I think you’re used to getting what you want.”

Her knuckles collided with her waist. “Are you calling me spoiled?”

“Are you?”

She took a quick step toward him and leaned over. Within an inch of his mouth, her voice slipped into a silky timbre. “No, SEAL, I’m not. You can keep your kisses. I don’t want—”

Execute. His hands palmed her cheeks and his mouth powered down on hers. Every ounce of blood rushed from his head to his heart. Her gorgeous body melted against his, submitting. Holy God in heaven! He’d been right. Kissing this woman coiled his lust tight.

Their kiss blazed and then ended with a slow burn before he gently pulled away. The corner of his mouth curved. “See you Friday.” He kick-started the engine to life.

“Friday…” she said meekly, gazing at him, still stunned.

He winked at her. Before his lust started talking him into screwing up the start to something incredible, he wheeled around the fountain and rode away.

Too Grand for Words (BookStrand Publishing Romance)

Natasza grew up on the beautiful West Coast of British Columbia with the Pacific Ocean on her western doorstep, and thousands of acres of forest on the other. After finishing school, her life took a drastic twist, and a lifelong working relationship with the marine industry began.

After a twenty-year hiatus from creative writing, the stories swirling in her mind began to swim hard to resurface, and she threw them a life ring. She juggles words during her days off, and then gets back down to business, working as an officer in the Coast Guard. Her life is a mix of creativity vs. black and white procedures. With a lifetime of working in the marine community, there’s plenty of stories to tell. It’s a different world, different language, unsung heroes and heroines aplenty, heated moments, and blissful silence when all is well. Reading and writing is the way she turns down the loud hum that work causes, and after thirty years of humming, it’s time to vent.

Tally is a twenty-year-old single mother struggling to finish nursing school. Has she made mistakes in life? Sure, but her daughter isn’t one of them. She works hard, she studies even harder, and she’s only a few weeks away from graduating.
She’s living her life the best she knows how when she witnesses a near miss motorcycle accident between a car and a biker. A biker that happens to be the most talked about teacher at her college.
The moment she meets those startling blue, narrowly-escaped-death eyes, she realizes quickly that life as she knows it has changed. No longer will she be content to let life pass her by, even if it puts everything she’s worked so hard for in jeopardy.
***
Tommy is a highly skilled doctor. A teacher. A veteran. A fully-patched member of The Dixie Wardens MC. He’s lonely, but also set in his ways. What will it take for this man to accept that he needs to make some changes in his life? Apparently, it’ll take a guy in a truck, who’s preoccupied with his phone rather than focused on the road, nearly plowing into him on his bike at seventy miles per hour. Oh, and a twenty-something year old nursing student witnessing the entire thing from only a few feet away.
It only takes a second, a single heartbeat in time, as he looks into her worry-filled eyes to realize that he’d give anything for a single night with her. He may lose his job in the process, but after that one incredible night turns into an amazing weekend, he knows it’s worth the risk for the promise of her forever.

“As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted, your first clinical in the ER might be somewhat overwhelming. That’s to be expected. However, over time you will learn the ropes, find your stride, and realize that it isn’t some big scary place that will swallow you alive.” Dr. Tommy—I refused to call him Dr. Bones anymore—continued.

I started doodling on my paper, drawing curls and swirls around mine and Tallulah’s names.

I’d just made a fourth star when a large tanned hand came and snatched the pen out of my hand.

“I can see now why your pen ran out of ink.” Dr. Tommy stared down at me with barely restrained impatience.

My face flushed.

If it were possible to sink into the floor in completely embarrassment, I would’ve done it. Right then and there.

Jesus Christ.

“I think you should see me after class.” He murmured.

My brows furrowed.

I hadn’t done anything wrong.

Looking over to Hadley, she returned a sympathetic smile before turning her head down to her own work.

“Okay.” I finally said. “I’ll see you after class.”

He nodded once, but kept his pen.

Irrational anger followed me throughout the rest of class, and by the time that it ended, I was beside myself.

“Do you want me to wait?” Hadley asked.

I shook my head.

“No.” I snapped. “I have to go to work after this anyway. I just hope he doesn’t make me late.”

Hadley packed her book into her bag, gave me a worried look, and then left without another word.

I stayed in my seat once my bag was packed, waiting to see what Dr. McAsshole had to say.

Once the last person escaped, he stopped erasing the board, (and yes, I was admiring his ass if you were wondering) he turned and crossed his thick, muscular arms over his chest.

“The other teachers give you glowing recommendations.” He started saying.

I licked my lips.

“Uh, thank you?”

I didn’t know what to say, nor where he was going with this.

“I wanted you to understand that I won’t tolerate this kind of behavior when I have you in my ER.”

I blinked.

Then blinked again.

“Uhhhh,” I started to say, but he interrupted me.

“You’ll be starting on your nurse internship next week. You’ll be there two days out of the week, twelve hour shifts, and always under me or Dr. Wild.”

I blinked some more.

“I…I got it?” I finally was able to get out.

He nodded his head.

“Though I expect that has more to do with who your mother is than whether you are actually qualified or skilled enough to be there.”

My mouth dropped open in affront.

“Oh, I assure you that I am skilled and qualified enough to be there.” My back straightened. “Is that all?”

I could’ve sworn I saw his lips twitch at my show of anger, but no other signs were apparent.

“Yes, that’ll be all.”

I nodded and stood, throwing my bag on my shoulder and practically stomping toward the door.

He stopped me, though, the moment I was about to exit fully.

“Thank you.”

I froze, and turned.

“For what?” I asked stiffly.

“For not running over me this morning. Thank you for paying attention.”

I didn’t bother to answer him.

Otherwise I might’ve said that I now wished that I hadn’t been paying attention.

Mother fucker.

Who did he think he was?

My mother wouldn’t stoop so low as to get her daughter a job…would she?

Aaron don’t ever call me Fatbaby’ Sims is lucky to be alive. Or at least that is what everyone keeps telling him. He doesn’t feel lucky, though.

He’s scarred, has more than a little bit of a bad attitude, and there isn’t a single day that goes by that he doesn’t wish his wife would’ve just finished off the job.

After being denied his old position at the fire department, he leaves, and doesn’t look back. He heads straight to Alabama and into the semi-welcoming arms of The Dixie Wardens MC. There he becomes a part of a brotherhood that forces him to get back in the land of the living.

---

Imogen is a smart girl. A girl who doesn’t always make the best decisions.

Her heart is in the right place when she walks into that prison, but it doesn’t take long for her to realize that her heart shouldn’t have had any say so in the matter. Especially when one wrong move lands her in the arms of a scarred man that looks frightening enough to scare any sane woman away.

Immediately enthralled by the angry man, she tries to get closer to him. But the harder she tries to get to know him, the further he pushes her away.

---

The only thing Aaron wanted to do after his now ex-wife was sent to jail was escape. Escape the awful memories. The pity-filled eyes. The curious glances.

He does a damn fine job at ensuring he draws as little as attention as possible, but then that annoying woman with her startling blue eyes starts hammering away at his resolve. Makes him feel when he doesn’t want to feel.

Imogen comes into his life and carves out a place for herself, obliterating his defenses one heated kiss at a time.

It doesn’t take long, and he realizes he’s in deep. Too deep to ever want to come out.

Imogen will know what it’s like to be loved by a reject.

I’m a married mother of three. My kids are all under 5, so I can assure you that they are a handful. I’ve been with my paramedic husband now for ten years, and we’ve produced three offspring that are nothing like us. I live in the greatest state in the world, Texas.